WQXE News

Members of the Radcliff City Council called it Mayor J.J. Duvall’s 44th birthday present to himself.

The council approved the purchase of the long-vacant Redmar Plaza site, as well as the adjoining property that was once home to the Hardin County Public Health building, during their meeting Tuesday. The $2.25 million purchase plan paves the way to demolish and redevelop the properties.

Members of the city council had high praise for the mayor’s efforts.

“I know you’ve worked on this long and hard,” said Councilman Jerry Brown. “Terms as mayor, economic development, all the things that you’ve done. My congratulations, my friend.”

Councilwoman Terry Owens said the purchase is a major step, and said development will require more effort and collaboration.

“Now the challenge is to see what we can do to it next,” said Owens. “It’s going to take everybody to get there, not just one person. It’s going to take a lot of people, even people you don’t see sitting here today. That’s been the ‘ride or die’ in economic development.”

The council also approved the city’s budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, which includes pay increases for city employees including police and fire personnel. Mayor Duvall said the budget reflects the city’s big goals.

“This is one of our largest budgets, obviously, we’ve had in the city’s history at $18.6 million,” Duvall said. “There’s a lot in that budget. There’s a lot of good things, a lot of community things that we’re trying to do, but we’re being responsible with the taxpayer dollars that we’re moving forward with.”

The rezoning for the planned North Haven Subdivision at the southwest corner of the intersection of Joe Prather Highway and Patriot Parkway had its first reading. It will go up for discussion and a vote at the next city council meeting, which is scheduled for July 18.

At Monday’s Vine Grove City Council meeting, City Engineer Bob Woosley announced that the splash pad is nearly complete. “If you haven’t been over there, they started pouring concrete. And the big news on that is the reason they are pouring concrete is because we passed our inspections. So we’re good to go. Tomorrow they should finish out the rest of the concrete. and then they’ll start putting equipment in.” Fundraising for a splash pad began in 2019. The ribbon cutting will take place on May 26.

Elizabethtown native Catherine LaRoche is moving back to Kentucky to become Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement at WKU in Bowling Green. She graduated from Central Hardin High School in 2005 and the University of Louisville in 2009. She is currently Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Arizona. When asked how this new job came about, Dr. LaRoche replied, “I was not a hundred percent looking for jobs at the time. I actually had a friend who lives in Texas and they were like ‘Hey, a recruiter reached out to me for the Assistant Vice President position at Western Kentucky. I’m not interested in leaving Texas. So I recommended you because I know you’re from Kentucky, so why don’t you take a look and see if it’s something you’re interested in.’ ” When offered the new job, she said, “It was kind of a no-brainer for me. When I got the offer, I kind of already knew, like if they offered it to me, I will most likely say yes.” When asked what she wanted to accomplish in her new position, Dr. LaRoche laid out her first ninety days plan. “It’s going to definitely get to understand where the division or the University is at. What are the priorities? You know, at a lot of colleges, a big priority, especially in the state of Kentucky, is retention, retaining students at the University beyond their first year. And then the other piece is: how do you increase enrollment?” When she begins her new position, Dr. LaRoche stated that staff will be one of her top priorities. “I want to see my staff succeed, so that is a big thing that I will bring to the University, is figuring out where my staff are? Where do they want to be? What is their potential and really help them reach their goals.” For students and families considering WKU, Dr. LaRoche said this. “Really what families can think about or look forward to when sending their student to WKU is those students really getting the opportunity to engage at high levels. Those living on campus, living off campus after their first two years and really just making sure they’re getting involved. That they’re successful both inside and outside of the classroom and then also making sure that they feel welcome, they feel connected to the university.” Dr. LaRoche will begin her new job as Assistant President for Student Engagement at WKU on July 17.